Encouraging healthy ageing: a vital element of NHS reform

The implications of an ageing population are all around us, with issues such as increasing healthcare and social care costs, and a perceived pensions crisis, for example. However, too often the focus remains on how to manage the challenges of an ageing population rather than investing in research and implementing social reform to promote healthy ageing. This article reviews the major areas of medical, social/political and scientific research that together offer an opportunity to allow people to age in a healthy way.